Product Review: Enjoy Life Granola “New & Improved” – Cranapple Crunch, Very Berry Crunch, Cinnamon Crunch November 3

Filed under *Breakfast Foods, *Cereal & Granola, *GF/ CF products, Enjoy Life by Karen | 8 comments

Enjoy Life gluten free granola . . .  round two!
Enjoy Life reformulated their gluten and allergy free granola and asked me to give it a whirl, even though I didn’t like their old formula.  They sent me three flavors to sample: Cranapple Crunch, Very Berry Crunch and Cinnamon Crunch.
The biggest difference I noticed was the large, awkward clumps of granola weren’t there anymore. Instead,  their new granola seems much more separated with only a few bite size clusters and bits of freeze dried fruit.  The brown rice flakes appeared cut and textured to look just like bits of oats- very clever!
The flavor of the granola is quite bold, especially the cranapple and very berry flavors. I liked that the granola wasn’t very sweet, so it made a great option for breakfast or sprinkling on yogurt for an extra crunch. Speaking of crunch, when I tried this gluten free granola for breakfast I was happy to discover that it stayed very crunchy in milk.
I didn’t care for this granola as a snack though. It was so separated that any attempt at eating a handful of this  granola resulted in a shower of flakes and fruit bits all over the counter and my shirt. Not fun.
Way to go enjoy Life! This new granola is a huge step up from the prior formula.
*This granola is free from wheat, gluten, casein, dairy, oats, soy, corn potato , sulfites, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, fish or shellfish
*Nutritional snapshot: ranges 1.5 to 3.5 grams of fat per serving, 170-180 calories, 3 grams protein and 2 grams fiber. For detailed information, please click HERE.
Pros: nice flavor, not too sweet, stays crunchy in milk
Cons: messy to eat as a snack
Rating: 4 stars
Want to try this for yourself?
Check out your local grocery store, or you can order from amazon.com for a discounted bulk price:


Product Review: Gluten Free Mama’s Scone Mix October 16

Filed under * MY FAVORITES!, *Breakfast Foods, *Muffins & Bagels, Gluten Free Mama products by Karen | 2 comments

At my house, we are huge breakfast people- and I mean HUGE. It is usually our largest meal of the day, as a matter of fact.  We love everything from scrambled eggs to french toast, and on holiday mornings our family tradition was  to make sweet and ooey gooey cinnamon rolls.  Sadly, we abandoned that tradition after my celiac diagnosis. I am happy to share that we have finally found a replacement for this tradition, thanks to Gluten Free Mama’s scone mix.

I have never been a huge scone fan and didn’t have have much experience making them at home.  When I tested this gluten free scone mix, I used recipes on the back of the package as guidance – cranberry orange scones for the adults and chocolate chip scones for the kids. They looked fantastic and smelled heavenly fresh from the oven.  The scones were moist and flavorful, with no weird or grainy texture or crumbling issues.  Honestly, it didn’t even taste gluten free. I actually served the scones to my children without telling them there were, in fact, gluten free. So when I selected a scone and took a bite, they freaked out, telling me ” No mom, don’t eat it- you’ll get sick!.”  If my picky kids can’t tell something is gluten free, you know it has to be a pretty good product.

This scone mix comes in a 32 ounce bag, which made three  batches of scones for me.  To mix them simply add cream and your extra ingredients, like fruit, nuts, poppy seeds, orange or lemon zest- whatever you are craving.  The suggested baking time is 23- 25 minutes, but my scones browned up nicely and were ready after 19 minutes- so watch them closely until you know how they will bake in your oven.

A helpful prep hint:  don’t roll out the scones too thin- at least the 3/4 inch the package recommends. I did this with my cranberry orange scones and they were a touch dry.

Pros: moist, super easy to make, large packaging for multiple servings, flexible prep to accommodate various taste preferences

Cons: be careful rolling out the dough- not too thin!

Rating: 5 stars

Ingredients: white rice flour, organic evaporated cane sugar, tapioca flour, potato starch flour, sweet rice flour, almond meal flour, aluminum free baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn strach, monocalcium phosphate), xanthan gum, sea salt, vanilla powder ( vanilla bean etxractives, evaporated cane juice, silica, cellulose.)

For nutritional information, click HERE

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To purchase Gluten Free Mama;s scone mix, click HERE to visit her website for more information.


Product Review:Made to Crave gluten free granola October 8

Filed under *Breakfast Foods, *Cereal & Granola, Made to Crave by Karen | 1 comment

Oh my, do I love this granola!
Made to Crave creates this all natural gluten free granola in four flavors: old fashioned granola, maple pecan, apple cinnamon, and fruit and nut.  I sampled their old fashioned granola and maple pecan  flavors with fantastic results.
This granola has a certified gluten free oats and crisped brown rice base accented by high quality ingredients like pecans, walnuts, coconut and various fruits.  This granola is sweeter than most  I have tasted;  I would actually enjoy it as a snack verses a breakfast food to start my day since I prefer less sweet foods in the mornings. The texture of Made to Crave granola reminds me of traditional granola, some clumps and nuggets nestled in the loose oats and other ingredients.
Maple Pecan Granola: This was my favorite of the two I tried. It was sweet, crunchy and peppered with large pecans and a nice maple flavor that was just perfect. YUM! This would be great as a cereal or a snack. Rating: 5 stars
Ingredients: Certified Gluten Free Oats, Pecans, Maple Syrup, Brown Sugar, Canola Oil, Organic Crispy Brown Rice (Organic Brown Rice, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Sea Salt), Salt, Vanilla Extract
Old Fashioned  Granola: This is your simple, basic granola that would be great for a number of purposes- cereal for breakfast, toppings for granola or ice cream, or as a snack fresh from the bag. The flavor is sweet and pure, however my husband and I  noticed a slight aftertaste that we couldn’t pinpoint the source of – maybe the sea salt? Anyway, I quite enjoyed the hint of cinnamon added to this as well. Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Ingredients: Gluten Free Oats, Honey,Brown Sugar, Canola Oil, Organic Crispy Brown Rice (Organic Brown Rice, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Sea Salt), Salt, Cinnamon, Vanilla Extract
Watch for upcoming Made to Crave reviews featuring snack bars and animal crackers that are to die for! ( can you tell I am a fan?)
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If you want to try this granola for yourself, click HERE for more information.

Product Review:Erewhon Crispy Rice Gluten Free Cereals July 19

Filed under *Breakfast Foods, *Cereal & Granola, Erewhon cereals, Uncategorized by Karen | 4 comments

I used to really like Rice Krispies, and was curious to see if Erewhon/ US Mills could duplicate the snap crackle pop I used to love.
Well, these cereals do, in fact, snap crackle and pop just like the original gluten version. As a whole, they also tend to be less sweet than other crisped rice cereals I have tried thus far.  All of these gluten free cereals are crispy, and hold up fairly well in milk. In each bowl I tested, sogginess did rear it’s ugly head at the end, but that could be because I tend to eat my cereal slowly.
Erewhon Cocoa Crisp Brown Rice Cereal: Move over Cocoa Krispies! This cocoa flavored cereal is a gentler version of the original- not quite as sweet, just as crunchy, and very tasty.  Be careful not to add too much milk though, or you will end up with a bowl of crispy brown rice in a sea of chocolate milk. Rating: 4 stars
Ingredients: organic brown rice, organic evaporated cane juice, organic brown rice syrup, organic cocoa powder (processed with alkali), natural flavors, organic caramel color, sea salt, organic cocoa butter.
Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice cereal with Mixed Berries: This cereal is supposed to be crisped rice with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. I am sad to report that although it was fairly sweet and had a nice crispness to it, the freeze dried berries were terribly disappointing. The strawberries were much smaller than in the Strawberry Crisp cereal, the blueberries were plentiful but flavorless, and I didn’t even realize there were raspberries in it until I read the ingredient list. Overall, the flavor is OK, but I was really hoping for something to rival the Strawberry Crisp version that I greatly enjoyed. Rating: 3 stars
Ingredients: organic brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, honey, freeze dried blueberries, raspberries, & strawberries; sea salt, natural flavor
Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice cereal: This cereal is whole grain, low fat, low sugar, and looks almost exactly like traditional Rice Krispies. They are definitely less sweet, but have a similar crunch and texture. This cereal is great with fresh fruit or a little more sweetness added.  Eat it quickly before the flavor turns bland. Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Ingredients: organic brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, sea salt
Erewhon Rice Twice- rice puffs and crisps of brown rice- cereal: What happened with this cereal? It is bland, bland, bland and I needed a large serving of fruit in my cereal bowl to even consume it. I not a huge sugar cereal fan, but this cereal left me begging for more flavor and sweetness. I guess this cereal tastes too “healthy” for me- ha! I actually think this cereal would be great crushed as breading for chicken or in recipes that call for bread crumbs. Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Ingredients: organic brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, honey, sea salt
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Want to try any of these Erewhon cereals for yourself?
Check your local grocery store or visit amazon.com for bulk ordering:
Click here to check out my other gluten free cereal reviews!

Product Reviews: Erewhon Organic Corn Flakes cereal & Strawberry Crisp cereal (gluten free) July 5

Filed under *Breakfast Foods, *Cereal & Granola, Erewhon cereals by Karen | 2 comments

Mmmm, gluten free cereal- one of my favorite snacks.
Erewhon sent me a box full of their gluten free cereals- some I loved, and some not-so-much.  I initially tried the corn flake  varieties, and here is what I found:
Organic Corn Flakes: No Added Sweeteners
Up front I was a little nervous about trying these, because I had heard their old formulation with this cereal made them taste pretty bad. Thankfully, I found these to be a good, solid, product for a gluten free, sugar free cereal.
On the box of the gluten free cereal, it reads ” We’ve gone back to basics to being you the natural, great taste of Erewhon Corn Flakes.”  I actually found this statement right on target. These corn flakes only have two ingredients- organic milled corn and sea salt. There are no sweeteners of any kind added. Honestly- think that was what Erewhon was shooting for -a pure, natural cereal. Because of this, the flavor is very mild and slightly bland. If you are used to sweet and sugary breakfast  cereals, this may take a bit to get used to.    Because there isn’t any sweetener added, I found that adding sliced strawberries and other fresh fruit complimented the cereal nicely.
The flakes are light, textured and crispy and soften  in milk, just like regular corn flakes. I actually think if you crush them up,  these corn flakes would make an excellent coating for chicken. Rating: 4 stars
Ingredients: organic milled corn, sea salt
Strawberry Crisp: Brown Rice & Corn Cereal with Real Strawberries
Ok, so I am huge sucker for strawberries, if it has strawberries in it, chances are I will like it. This cereal was no exception and was delicious.
This cereal is a combination of crunchy corn and brown rice flakes with freeze dried strawberries.  The cereal is mildly sweet thanks to the evaporated cane juice, but doesn’t taste sugary at all – a huge bonus that I loved.   The strawberries are plentiful, quite flavorful, and leave a light strawberry dust on the flakes. This cereal does soften in milk a little, but because I ate it so fast, it really didn’t have a chance to get soggy. Loved it! Rating: 5 stars
Ingredients: organic brown rice, organic corn meal, organic evaporated cane juice, freeze dried strawberries, sea salt, natural flavor
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If you want to try these cereals, check your local grocery store, natural foods store, or these online retailers:


Product Review: Nature’s Path/ Envirokidz Amazon Frosted Flakes cereal (gluten free, organic) April 21

Filed under *Breakfast Foods, *Cereal & Granola, Envirokidz/ Nature's Path by Karen | 0 comments

Totally tasty, that’s what these are! If you used to like regular frosted flakes before going gluten free, you will definitively enjoy these anytime.
These corn based flakes are sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice with a pinch of sea salt. That’s it- no extra additives or preservatives. Simple.
These flakes are actually a little thicker than the original Frosted Flakes  adorned with Tony the Tiger on the box. Therefore, they retain their texture and crunch a little longer. The flavor is mild and just sweet enough to be satisfying.In fact, in a  pinch, I actually crushed these gluten free frosted corn flakes when coating chicken for a sweet and sour recipe with fantastic results.
Overall, these are a great gluten free alternative for those of you that may enjoy a morning bowl of cereal with a bit of sweetness.
Pros: nice flavor, hearty corn flakes that don’t get soggy
Cons: none really!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Ingredients: organic corn meal, organic evaporated cane juice, sea salt
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Interested in trying this gluten free cereal? Check your local grocery store or visit glutenfree.com by clicking the link below for ordering information:


Nature’s Path – Amazon Frosted Flakes
From: glutenfree.com

Product Review: Nature’s Path Organic Whole-O’s cereal – gluten free “cheerios” April 1

Filed under *Breakfast Foods, *Cereal & Granola, *GF/ CF products, *Kid Friendly Foods, *Vegan, Envirokidz/ Nature's Path by Karen | 3 comments

I think I hear gluten free parents cheering right now.
For many children, Cheerios is a beloved snack for little fingers just learning to grasp and self feed. For adults, a light breakfast of Cheerios doused in ice cold milk dotted with fresh fruit is a welcome way to start the day. I loved my cereal with fresh sliced strawberries, and reluctantly gave it up after going gluten free. I tried a couple of gluten free versions a few years ago, and they were so awful I didn’t bother trying any other brands. I simply gave up and moved on.
When Nature’s Path send me their latest Whole-O’s cereal to try, I honestly didn’t have any expectations. However, I can honestly say that this is the best gluten free version of cheerios I have tried thus far
This gluten free cereal looks just like the “real deal.” The small round O’s that were just the right size for small fingers or a spoon looked really tasty.
I tried this cereal dry and with milk. I noticed in both scenarios that this gluten free cereal is very crunchy, even after sitting in milk for a while.  This is great for breakfast cereal served with milk, but not so great for small mouths that might still be learning to chew, because the O’s don’t dissolve in the mouth as quickly as regular cheerios. I would suggest for new eaters, to soften the cheerios in your choice of milk, to ease the crunchiness and lessen the chance of choking.
I found the flavor and texture quite pleasant. It actually reminded me of the flavor and texture of the generic cheerios I used to buy in college. No, that’s not bad, I promise. It’s just a little different, a  little off from the original product. I didn’t notice any weird aftertaste, which was also a bonus. They are lightly sweet and very tasty.
Overall, I think this gluten free cereal is totally yummy and a great option for children as well as adults.
Pros: Doesn’t get soggy in milk, nice flavor and texture
Cons: Might be a little too crunchy for really small children
Rating: 5 stars
Ingredients: organic brown rice flour, organic corn flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic pomegranate juice concentrate, sea salt
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If you want to try Nature’s Path Organic Whole O’s cereal, please CLICK  HERE to visit Nature’s Path Online Store for ordering information.

Product Review: Turtle Mountain: So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt (gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan) March 15

Filed under *Breakfast Foods, *GF/ CF products, *Snack Foods, So Delicious beverages/yogurt by Karen | 2 comments

Yum, I love yogurt! I was thrilled when Yoplait started labeling their yogurt “gluten free.”  However, when I tried soy based yogurts I was pretty disappointed. I just didn’t care for the flavor and texture. So, when a coconut  milk yogurt was sent my way, I was cautiously optimistic .
So Delicious coconut milk yogurts are produced by Turtle Mountain and are dairy free, soy free and gluten free, so they are definitely allergy friendly. I tested three flavors:
Vanilla: This was my favorite flavor, hands down. It was smooth, slightly thick and has a great vanilla flavor with a touch of coconut. I added granola and fresh berries to it with fantastic results. The flavor seemed to be missing the tangy flavor of traditional yogurt, but it’s lightly sweet vanilla flavor was great anyway.
Blueberry: I am not a fan of blueberries, but even I liked this yogurt! Again, the flavor is  mild and slightly sweet.  It also smells wonderful and has a fresh, smooth taste. Little bits of blueberry dot the yogurt and add a little punch to the flavor. The consistency seemed a bit runny to me, and definitely wasn’t thick enough to stick to a spoon. I think this flavor would actually be great in a smoothie!
Passionate Mango: The combination of passion fruit and mango in this gluten free yogurt is potent, to put it mildly. Right away you are hit with a “pow” or tartness, compliments of the passion fruit. This yogurt has the smoothness of other flavors and is moderately thick.
Overall, these So Delicious coconut milk yogurt flavors are tasty and flavorful, and an excellent alternative if you need to eat dairy and soy free, as well as gluten free. These yogurt flavors are ideal to eat alone or in a recipe. (Also available in raspberry, peach and cinnamon bun flavors.)
Pros: excellent flavor and texture, allergy friendly
Cons: I wish it was a bit thicker, the passionate mango flavor is a little too tart
Rating: 4 stars
For ingredients and nutritional information, please visit Turtle Mountain’s website by clicking HERE.
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To purchase, check with your local grocer or natural food store. You may also click HERE to find a retailer near you via Turtle Mountain’s store locator link.

Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Gluten Free Oats- Rolled March 11

Filed under * MY FAVORITES!, *Baking/ Cooking Ingredients, *Breakfast Foods, Bob's Red Mill mixes by Karen | 5 comments

Gluten free Apple crisp

Oh my do I LOVE these! I picked up this hefty 32 ounce bag of Bob’s Red Mill gluten free rolled oats for a mere $5.99 at a local natural foods store when I was in Minnesota for my sister’s wedding back in December. I was thrilled that such large bag of gluten free oats was available since I adore my recipe for coconut pecan apple crisp and oatmeal cookies. This huge bag cost the same as my 17 ounce box of Lara’s gluten free oats in my pantry. I felt like I hit the lottery!

Bob’s Red Mill gluten free rolled oats

This is what the Bob’s red Mill site states about their gluten free oats:
Our Gluten Free Rolled Oats are pure. They are grown by over 200 farmers on clean, dedicated oat-growing fields. They plant only non-GMO “pedigreed” seed stock. Each farm delivery is sampled hundreds of times and tested with an R5 ELISA gluten test to ensure the absence of gluten. Advanced color-sorting removes undetected impurities. Roasting enhances that wholesome, robust flavor you expect. The oats are packaged in our new, 100% gluten free facility and tested for gluten again to ensure their purity. *Please be advised that a small percentage of people with celiac disease may not tolerate even the purest of oats. If you are unsure whether oats are suitable for your diet, please check first with your health advisor before eating them.

Bob’s red mill gluten free rolled oats

My family and I love these delicious oats and consumed them with no ill effects. The only problem I can find is that unless your local natural foods store carries them, they are difficult to find online to purchase- even the Bob’s Red Mill site is sold out!

Lucky for me- and you- my local natural foods store has started filling online orders, Click the link below if you want to purchase them ASAP. In the meantime, I will post new links when another site has them in stock.

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats from Nature’s Pantry

Rating: 5 stars!

Pros: Finally! An affordable gluten free rolled oats product, tastes great, large size bag

Cons: May be difficult to find in stores and online

Enjoy Life Very Berry Crunch Granola Cereal- gluten free/ dairy free/ wehat free/ nut free/ egg free/ soy free/ all natural February 18

Filed under *Breakfast Foods, Enjoy Life by Karen | 8 comments

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OK, I have had enough bread for a few days, and wanted to share this breakfast cereal with you. I purchased it to share with my sister before her wedding at Christmas. We were staying with my parents and needed a gluten free breakfast cereal option in my parents’ pantry for a satisfying breakfast in a short amount of time. Getting ready for a wedding is serious business, and not a second is wasted! (Well, almost, right Kristina?) . I purchased this 12.8 ounce box of gluten free cereal for $5.29 at a nearby grocery store.

I admit the picture on the box looked really good- the clusters of granola amongst plump juicy berries- yum,! Oh boy was I in for a surprise. I opened the box to discover that it was only half full. Nope, the contents just hadn’t “settled”, but the inner sealed bag was only as large as half the box. Very deceptive!

Then I poured some granola into my bowl. My first thought was. “Where are the berries?!” I saw large one to two inch chunks of granola cereal with a bits of color, but I had to look really hard. I started to get that sinking feeling that I had wasted my money. However, wanting to give it a fair shot, I poured some milk and dug in.

Thankfully, I was surprised- it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Even though the freeze dried berries were hard to see, this gluten free granola cereal had a pleasant strawberry and raspberry flavor that blended well with the granola. This cereal wasn’t too sweet, but lacked a traditional “granola” flavor since it does not contain nuts or oats. The texture is also hard to describe, since it consisted mostly of brown rice flakes and rice bran. I also noticed a strange aftertaste, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was from.

This cereal did not get soggy and remained crisp and crunchy in my milk. However, it was almost too gard to eat and enjoy. I found this cereal to be quite filling thanks to the 5 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein per serving half cup serving.

Overall, I found this cereal to be quite unexpected. I enjoyed the berry flavor but found the rest of the “granola” a little strange. I feel this is a good option for those that cannot have nuts or oats. However, for myself I think I will stick to a more traditional variety of granola cereal.

PROS: nice berry flavor, allergen-free

CONS: deceptive packaging, very large chunks, aftertaste, hard to chew, appearance is less than appetizing

Rating: 2 stars

Want to try it? Click the picture and link below:

Enjoy Life Foods Very Berry Granola Gluten-Free Cereal
Enjoy Life Foods Very Berry Granola Gluten-Free Cereal- glutenfreemall.com

Read more Enjoy Life gluten free product reviews:

Enjoy Life Soft Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies

Enjoy Life Soft Baked Snickerdoodle Cookies

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